There are some pretty good sub-$100 Android phones out there on the market, but they require a bit of compromise when it comes to performance and software updates. Here's why you're probably better off ignoring them.

These application processors in mid-range phones are usually running on the ARMv6 instruction set, meaning the really attractive games won't run smoothly. A common clock speed to see in this day and age is 600MHz. That's enough to get things most things done. You can easily browse the web, and run some background services. If you try to throw Fruit Ninja into the mix, it's going to get chunky.

Lastly, If you pick up a mid-range phone you need to be very comfortable with the feature set it comes with. These inexpensive devices will not get a lot of attention in the update department. There are two reasons for this. The devices are slower, meaning newer versions of Android may have to be modified more to function correctly. Also, mid-range phones don't sell as well. The best way to tell if a device is getting updates, is whether or not it has a large user base.

They're still a step up from lots of older phones, and Tested notes that many feel "snappier than [you'd] expect on a 600MHz processor". If you don't need a super powerful smartphone, they'd probably fit your workflow just fine, but they probably aren't worth it. You can get just as good a deal if you do a bit of hunting.

While these phone's list prices blow the competition out of the water (as they range from $100 to free with a new contract), you can still find high-end phones on Amazon for just as cheap. Instead of grabbing a $100 phone, for example, you might be better off snatching up the slightly-old-but-still-awesome Droid Incredible, for example, a mere $80 on Amazon or the slightly less old HTC G2 for $100.—and it's probably a better phone than even the $100 midrange phones. These deals aren't permanent, but every few months Amazon seems to have a slew of steep discounts on high-end phones that make buying midrange phones unnecessary.

If you don't want to be beholden to when Amazon or other outlets have deals on certain phones, or you want to get a phone for free, the lower-end phones are probably a fine buy, as Tested notes. But with a bit of patience and hunting around, you can almost certainly get just as good a deal on a higher-end phone—thus avoiding the sacrifice of a slow processor or the latest version of Android. Hit the link to Tested's article on midrange phones, and share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.